Peter's Mother by Mrs Henry de la Pasture (1905)

This novel differs from her four previous adult ones in two respects - it did a great deal better than them, and also it was quite a bit simpler. This is probably the novel of hers which was reprinted most, though there are a couple of other contenders. Certainly the second and fourth novels, which most show her trademark clarity running in tandem with a big cast of characters and really ready wit, show her at her best, and are sadly barely known by comparison. That is not to say that this one is not highly entertaining. The story centres around Mary Setoun, now become Mary Crewys, who is squashed under the weight of her domineering husband's conservatism. She barely leaves their home, Barracombe House, set near the top of one side of a river valley in Devon, Pasture's favourite locale, and does everything she is asked to by her husband, without question. Her son, Peter, is very much a follower in his father's footsteps, but still beloved by his mother, even though his thoughtlessness hurts her. Mary is surrounded by not only these two, but her husband's two sisters, Pasture's reduced comic chorus of snobbery, crotchetiness, and veiled disapproval. On the same day, Mary's husband dies in a risky operation and Peter leaves secretly for the Boer War. Her husband's cousin, the charming John Crewys, is entrusted with running the estate. Mary finds in him something she has missed most of her life - empathy. Peter returns from the war having lost his arm, but not his inherited domineering manner. He falls for Mary's protege, Sarah Hewel, the daughter of the great house opposite their own, who has grown from a tomboy carrot-top to gorgeous young woman in the time Peter has been away. The fact that Sarah is also determined that Mary will be happy, and that Peter will wake up and not just repeat his father's errors by keeping his mother locked up at home, is the crucial one. A tough conversation is had, and freedom of all kinds ensues. So, though it feels 'basic' compared to others in her bibliography, this one still has a lot of spirit.